How Can Americans Manage Obesity Throughout the United States Essay

How Can Americans Manage Obesity Throughout the United States - Essay Example As researchers gain knowledge more of about the health hazards of obesity, the increase in the incidence of obesity in children, and in grown up people as well, is progressively becoming more a foremost concern to a society at large and thus a societal health dilemma requiring nationwide attention. Over the previous decades, the pervasiveness of overweight children has enlarged remarkably in the United States, making it more probable that children and adolescents nowadays will be more vulnerable to various serious, fatal diseases and illnesses prematurely in life, including diabetes. The increase in obese children arrives at a time when present-day conveniences and establishment such as fast food, video game and most importantly the Internet, have contributed dramatically to inactive lifestyles, a pattern that is becoming progressively pervasive among today’s children and adolescents (Caprio, 2006). Approximations of the population of overweight and obese children and youths in the United States differ. Figures from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reveal that â€Å"13 per cent of children and 14 per cent of adolescents are affected by obesity—triple the adolescent rate since 1980† (Holloway, 2005, 118). An article of the American Family Ph ysician released in 1999 approximates that the population fall roughly between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of young children and teenagers. The boost spreads across ethnic and social groups (ibid, 118). Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika, a childhood obesity specialist, and others are attempting to pinpoint the cause for the steep increase in overweight children. â€Å"We’re trying to figure out how much of the problem is food intake and how much is the result of little to no physical activity (Koplan, 2005, 58),† says Dr. Kumanyika. â€Å"The social trends affecting children are definitely in favor of overeating. The impact of eating portions that are

Nineteenth Century Views on Charity as Depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s Life and Novel, Jane Eyre :: Bronte

Nineteenth Century Views on Charity as Depicted in Charlotte Bronte’s Life and Novel, Jane Eyre In the nineteenth century, the role of charity was portrayed differently by many individuals depending on what religion they followed. On one hand, many people felt obligated to help the unfortunate to comply with religious responsibility and to become better individuals. On the other hand, Others, felt that the misfortunes of the poor weren’t their responsibility. The different concepts of charity can be viewed in Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, as she reveals to us the various experiences Jane underwent as an orphan. Many of the instances that Bronte mentions in her novel are references to some of the incidents she encountered in her school years. To know why charity was significantly one of Bronte’s main focuses in the novel, we will look at the conceptions that the Anglicans and other Christian groups had of charity in the nineteenth century, as well as a history of Bronte’s familial background. The Anglicans and other Christian groups viewed charity differently in the nineteenth century. Each religion had and preached its own concept. We learn that the Anglicans’ views are more in opposition to charity when Cheryl Walsh indicates that, "Through this type of religion, there was very little encouragement for the development of a social conscience—of recognition of any kind of responsibility for the welfare of fellow human beings"(353). Walsh also mentions that Anglicans "Felt neither responsible for the suffering of the poor nor called on to help alleviate that suffering"(353). The belief of not being responsible for the misfortunes of the poor and not attempting to help them in any way draws the notion that Anglicans clearly didn’t favor charitable acts. On the other hand, according to St. Paul, Christianity’s view on charity was more an act of duty than the expected one of kindness. Christianity propagated charity as one of the necessary acts that a good Christian should follow. Graham Gordon believes that in Christianity, "Charity is considered chief of the Christian virtues," and that "Charity is commended by St. Paul for being the true way to the end which religious practices seek"(10). We can see that in being a chief virtue, charity is highly encouraged in the sense that helping others is considered to be a great deed of good doing. Therefore, we can draw the notion that those who wish to follow the "true way to the end," are those that contribute the most to the poor, as opposed to those mentioned by Walsh who see themselves as "not responsible for the welfare of human beings.

Future Of Self Driving Cars Research Papers Essay

In the technology world, the latest advancement is only as good as the next thing coming down the line. The auto industry is constantly bringing us new technologies, whether it be for safety, entertainment, usefulness or simply for pure innovation (Neiger,C.). Unless you’re an inveterate walker or a mass-transit rider, you probably spend more time in your car each week than anywhere except your workplace and your home. It’s not always pleasant. Highway gridlock, a fruitless search for a parking space or a brush with a thundering tractor-trailer can rattle all but the most Zen drivers. Things are about to get better. A new wave of innovation, led by carmakers and automotive-tech companies, is transforming the driving experience. Thanks largely to on-board computers, our vehicles are becoming smarter, nimbler, and safer and more fun. (Human drivers, unfortunately, will remain as erratic as ever.)Fully self-driving cars remain some years away. But new technology in the nex t five to 10 years will help Cars Park themselves, monitor the alertness of the driver and even communicate with each other to avoid collisions. Tomorrow’s cars may have self-parking cars, self-driving cars, long-range headlights, external airbags, learning system, connecting cars, and driver’s health (Brandon,G.). For decades, car infotainment meant just a radio. Then tape decks began appearing, eventually being joined by CD players. Now, Tape decks have disappeared as a factory option (the last car to come with a tape player was sold in 2010), and the CD is entering a slow but inexorable decline. They’re being replaced by smartphones and streaming media. Compared to even a few years ago, new cars are far more connected to the outside world. It’s a trend that’s only going to continue. The always-updating consumer electronics industry and the rapid rise of the smartphone have combined to condition consumers to an incredibly rapid pace  of development. People expect new devices every couple of years that are faster and more powerful, and they’re bringing those expectations out of the Apple or Android or Microsoft store and into the car dealership. As we covered recently, this has created a new set of challenges and opportunities for the automakers. First Parking may be the most tedious thing about driving. Parallel parking is an ordeal for many drivers, but with parking space limited in big cities, squeezing your car into a tiny space is a vital skill (Grabianowski,E.) Even for veteran urban dwellers, parallel parking can be a challenge. And nobody enjoys circling a crowded shopping-center parking lot, jockeying with other irritated drivers for the few open spaces. Fortunately, technology has an answer – cars that park themselves. Imagine finding the perfect parking spot, but instead of struggling to maneuver your car back and forth, you simply press a button, sit back, and relax. The same technology used in self-parking cars can be used for collision avoidance systems and ultimately, self-driving cars. Self-parking cars can also help to solve some of the parking and traffic problems in dense urban areas. Cameras and sensors mounted in car bumpers measure the distance between the car and surrounding obstacles, allowing a semi-automated system to turn the steering wheel, move and brake to navigate into spaces (Brandon,G.). Sometimes parking a car in a space is restricted by the driver’s skill at parallel parking. A self-parking car can fit into smaller spaces than most drivers can manage on their own. This makes it easier for people to find parking spaces, and allows the same number of cars to take up fewer spaces. When someone parallel parks, they often block a lane of traffic for at least a few seconds. If they have problems getting into the spot, this can last for several minutes and seriously disrupt traffic. Self-parking technology would prevent many of these mishaps. It can also save money, since you won’t have to worry about insurance claims for parking-related damage (Grabianowski,E.). Next up are cars that can park themselves at the push of a button. If you believe the hype, it would seem that self-driving cars are right around the corner. Google has been testing them for several years, and states like California and Nevada have authorized them for use on roads – although only with a human behind the wheel. Autonomous-driving features, such as systems that recognize hazards and brake on their own to avoid collisions, are already on the market. But the fantasy of a car that  automatically steers you to work while you read the morning paper or catch a few extras is still many years away. â€Å"Autonomous driving is not going to mean jump in the car, push a button, say ‘Take me to grandma’s house’ and go to sleep,’ † said James Bell, head of consumer affairs for GM. â€Å"That may come someday, but not soon.† For decades, most automobile headlights were fairly uncomplicated. They pointed fixedly ahead, with separate high beams for greater visibility on dark roads. Then came the more energy-efficient halogen and xenon lights and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Now, automakers are pioneering a generation of â€Å"smart† headlights that can automatically adjust their brightness or direction depending on conditions. And a coming wave of laser high beams promises to illuminate the road ahead for a third of a mile – twice the range of LED high-beam headlights – while using less energy. Audi and BMW are racing to be the first carmakers to offer laser lights in a production car: BMW in its i8 plug-in hybrid and Audi in a yet-to-be-named model (maybe the Quattro) by 2015. â€Å"We’ll be able to extend the range of headlights to (a distance of) six football fields,† said Filip Brabec, director of product management for Audi. That’s 600 yards, or more than thr ee north-south blocks in New York. Meanwhile, next-generation LEDs have sensors that can detect oncoming traffic and redirect the beams in such a way as not to blind other drivers. An onboard computer, linked with cameras, controls each of them to mask glare onto other vehicles while flooding the road with light. With such a system, drivers can keep their high beams on all the time instead of having to toggle back and forth. For decades, inflatable airbags have been protecting people in cars from the devastating jolt of collisions. There are airbags mounted in the dash, steering wheel, side panels, seats and even seat belt. Despite their varied locations, these airbags all have one thing in common: They’re inside the vehicle. But what if someone made airbags that inflated on the outside to help protect the car — and pedestrians — before the moment of impact? TRW Automotive, a maker of safety technologies, is developing a large airbag that would fit into rocker panels on the side of the vehicle, on the beam below the doors. A system of cameras and radar on  the car would detect when a collision was imminent and send a signal to the airbag, which would inflate outward and upward within 30 milliseconds. In this way, the side airbag would absorb some of the energy of the collision before the vehicle’s frame was struck. Crash tests have shown that the external airbags can reduce the impact on a vehicle’s interior – the inward crumpling of a car’s frame and doors – by up to 35%, said Emiliano Core, who is developing the airbag system along with Lothar Zink and other TRW engineers. http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ We humans are flawed drivers. We sometimes get behind the wheel while sleepy or even drunk, and we’re easily distracted, whether by our electronic devices or something pretty outside our window. In the gravest circumstances, we can even have a stroke or heart attack behind the wheel (Kelly,H). This is why researchers, app developers and car companies are developing technology to monitor flesh-and-blood drivers and help them avoid accidents. Advanced sensors in the passenger cabin can monitor a driver’s vitals such as heart rate, eye movements and brain activity to detect everything from sleepiness to a heart attack. Nissan is experimenting with an array of technology that detects drunken driving. A sensor in the transmission shift knob can measure the level of alcohol in a driver’s sweat, while the car’s navigation system can sound an alarm if it detects erratic driving, such as weaving a cross lanes (Kelly,H). http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ For several years now, we’ve been hearing about a near future in which all of our digital devices communicate with each other. Your fridge notices that you’re at the grocery store, for example, and sends a message to your phone saying you’re out of milk. Or your oven texts you when the pot roast is done. Now this so-called â€Å"Internet of things† is coming to the highway (Brandon Griggs). As cars grow more and more computerized, they will be able to trade messages about traffic, weather and road conditions. More urgently, they can broadcast their speed and direction and warn each other about potential safety hazards, such as when a nearby vehicle is drifting into your lane.†If I can get information from the car next to me that  they’re going to turn right, that would be great,† explains Maarten Sierhuis, director of Nissan’s research center in Silicon Valley. He imagines a day when information about almost all vehicles is stored in the cloud and accessible by all. â€Å"It would be like crowdsourcing the driving experience.† This technology is called vehicle-to-vehicle communications, or V2V for short, and it’s not far off. In the first test of its kind, almost 3,000 cars and trucks equipped with prototype V2V devices have been driving around Ann Arbor, Michigan, over the past year-and-a-half as part of a pilot program by the University of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Transportation (Brandon Griggs). Thanks to on-board computers that operate everything from the stereo and navigation to the brakes and accelerator, the era of â€Å"big data† is coming to the automobile (Peter Valdes-Dapena). Mercedes-Benz is developing a system that over time promises to learn your schedule, tastes and even your moods. For example, it knows that you leave the house every weekday at 7:30 a.m. to take your kids to school and that you like the cabin a toasty 75 degrees. Based on GPS and satellite data, it quickly learns your preferred routes and tracks real-time traffic problems, so it can suggest detours to help you save time (Peter Valdes-Dapena). http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ Here are some of my favorite implications. Reduced deaths, reduced accidents. Saving LOTS of Money and Time. Massive Fuel Savings. No New Roads, Less Traffic. No Ownership – Just â€Å"On-Demand† Usage. No Garages, No Driveways, No Parking. No Mandatory Car Insurance. At last, if self-driving cars are available in the market everyone will be exited and there will be lot of advantages. Some people may enjoy and love driving cars by themselves, for them this technology may or may not help. But lots of people will be beneficial. Old people and some handicapped people may definitely like this. By this future cars we can save time, money and accidents as well. This technology cars are going to be with us within next 5-10 years. References: Brandon,G. (n.d.). The CNN 10: Future of driving. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ Diamandis,P. (10-13-2014). Self-Driving cars are coming. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterdiamandis/2014/10/13/self-driving-cars-are-coming/ Grabianowski,E. (n.d.). How self-parking cars work. Retrieved from: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/self-parking-car.htm Jonathan,m. (06-3-2014). The past, present, and future of in-car infotainment. Retrieved from: http://arstechnica.com/cars/2014/06/the-past-present-and-future-of-in-car-infotainment/ Kelly,H. (n.d.). The CNN 10: Future of driving. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/ Neiger,C. (n.d.). 5 Future car technologies that truly have a chance. Retrieved from: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/under-the-hood/trends-innovations/5-future-car-technologies.htm Valdes-Dapena,P. (n.d.). The CNN 10: Future of driving. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2014/02/tech/cnn10-future-of-driving/

A Brief Synopsis of Ovids Metamorphoses

Han Dynasty and Augustus Caesar’s Roman Empire - 1007 Words

In the forty years of Augustus Caesar’s reign—from 27 B.C. to A.D. 14—he created a new order that was the beginning of the Roman Empire. In 202 B.C., the year in which the Romans defeated the Carthaginians at the battle of Zama, Liu Pang won control of China and established the Han dynasty. The Roman Empire as well as its Eastern contemporary, the Han Dynasty, in China established strong central governments but experienced a decline caused by both internal and external influences; however, China leaders were more effective in using native conventions and values to maintain control over diverse people and regions than the emperors in Rome. The Han rulers used a system of choosing government officials on the basis of merit by introducing a primitive examination and recommendation system. By the first century B.C. the government employed more than 130,000 bureaucrats, or one for every 400 to 500 people in the empire. Although the examinations were theoreticall y open to all Chinese except merchants, the bureaucrats were drawn largely from the property-owner class, because affluence was needed to obtain the education to pass the examination. Consequently, the division of Chinese society transformed into a separation between landowner-bureaucrats and peasants. This system for officials influenced Chinese civilization for 2000 years. Students were expected to learn the teachings of Confucius, as well as Chinese history and law. By creating a group of well-trainedShow MoreRelatedEssay on Ap World Similarities and Differences China and Rome1144 Words   |  5 PagesHan China and Rome The Han Dynasty and the Roman Empire both had a great influence not only on its people but the world as a whole. The two had similar and different methods of political control. Both ruled their people under a bureaucracy, they had civil servants to maintain their large empires, and their foundations were made of great and strong rulers. Aside from the similarities they also had several differences. Take China for example, they focused more on Confucianism and they had a MandateRead MoreEssay about Comparison on Qin and Augustus Caesar1177 Words   |  5 Pages Comparing Augustus and Qin Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi was crowned king in 246 BC during the Warring States era (475-221 BC). Two centuries later, Caesar Augustus founded the Roman Empire and became Rome’s first Emperor, ruling from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD. Both emperors ruled with distinct and individual morals in which they laid upon their society. Both rulers utilized military victories, new code laws, and established a sense of unity throughout the land. Each contribution to their stateRead MoreQin Shi Huangdi and Ausustus Caesar1191 Words   |  5 Pageslife have always wanted and tried to leave their personal touches on society. From Qin Shi Huangdi of China as far over to Augustus Caesar of Rome, they all wanted people to recognize, respect and remember them until long after their time. These two rulers in particular left their mark by erecting pillars of greatness and importance to history. Qin Shi Huangdi and Augustus Caesar made claims of events and how successful they were at what the y accomplished in their time of power. Some of theseRead MoreRome s Creation Of A Mediterranean Empire3215 Words   |  13 Pages Rome’s Creation of a Mediterranean Empire, 753 b.c.e.–330 c.e. A. Geography and Resources 1. Italy and Sicily are at a crossroads of the Mediterranean and serve as a link between Africa and Europe. Rome is at a crossroads of the Italian peninsula. 2. Italy’s natural resources included navigable rivers, forests, iron, a mild climate, and enough arable land to support a large population of farmers whose surplus product and labor could be exploited by the Roman state. B. A Republic of Farmers, 753–31

Rembrandts Samson Tells a Riddle at His Feast - 1145 Words

The distinguished painting, Samson Tells a Riddle at his Feast, by artist Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, interprets the knowledgeable scene of a biblical figure, Samson, and his wife at their wedding feast. Judges 14 of the Bible details the background story of the painting – how Samson met a Philistine woman and chose her as his wife. Before he can take his new bride’s hand in marriage, Samson is withheld by a dangerous lion. Samson, however, is determined to join his lady and slays the beast. Oddly, Samson finds a swarm of bees surrounding a honeycomb inside the lion’s carcass. From this discovery, Samson formulates a riddle, which he tells to all of the guests at the feast of his wedding. The riddle goes like this: â€Å"Out of the eater came†¦show more content†¦His choice to withhold this information from her is correct in judgment, however, because she will in fact spread the answer to the riddle eventually in the future. Samson’s position in the painting is facing away from his wife and leaning suspensefully out of his seat. This may be a hint that Samson will soon leave his wife later in the story. Another evidentiary observation about Samson’s wife is that she clearly feels that she doesn’t belong, even at her own dinner party! Everything in her appearance is completely different from the others in the painting. Not only is she sitting in solitude, but she is the only character in the painting whose gaze is toward the viewer. It’s as if the viewers of the painting are the only ones who will pay her any sort of attention. Her posture is similar to the way one would take a portrait. In fact, Samson Tells a Riddle at his Feast could be viewed as a lonely portrait of a single woman, despite the busy crowd of people among her. How ironic that Rembrandt has focused this entire painting around making Samson’s wife the center of the painting, especially when she remains nameless and does not even appear in the painting’s title, Samson Tells a Riddle at his Feast. This face could also hint that Rembrandt himself is ignoring Samson’s wife, by forgetting her in the title. Samson, after all, is not primarily featured in this painting. Another connection and element of clarity is introduced once Rembrandt’sShow MoreRelatedA Brief Look at Rembrandt980 Words   |  4 Pagesmany hardships in his life, the death of all his children and his wives who perished before he did, as well as going financially bankrupt. Despite hard times, Rembrandt kept doing what he loved and used those experiences to explore the inner psychology of his subjects. The Wedding Feast of Samson and The Conspiracy of the Batavians Under Claudius Civilis were painted numerous years apart and are a reflection of what the artist was going through. The Wedding feast of Samson comes from the Old

Social networks as an advertising-based model Free Essays

1.0 Introduction. 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Social networks as an advertising-based model or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1 Background. â€Å"Social networks, such as Facebook and MySpace have witnessed a rapid growth in their membership. Some of these businesses have tried an advertising-based model with very limited success. However, these businesses have not fully explored the power of their members to influence each other’s behaviour. This potential viral or social effect can have significant impact on the success of these companies as well as provide a unique new marketing opportunity for traditional companies†. (Iyengar et al 2009) This research is focused on the impact of online social networks versus word of mouth in product referencing. It is an attempt to investigate the impact of the rapid growth of online social networks on the consumer and to investigate the possibility of it becoming a useful alternative to traditional word of mouth.According to Pedro Domingo (2005) traditionally, social network models have been descriptive, rather than predictive: they are developed at a very common level, normally with only a few global parameters, and are not practical for making concrete predictions of the future behaviour of the network. Until recent times, this was mainly due to lack of data: the networks available for tentative study were small and not many, and contained only nominal information about each node. Fortunately, the growth of the Internet has assisted its development. Substantial quantities of data are now available on very large social networks via blogs, social networking sites, knowledge-sharing sites, online gaming, newsgroups, chat rooms, etc. 2.0 Preliminary Literature Review. 2.1 Word of Mouth (WOM). Word of mouth (WOM) has been recognized over the years as a significant influence on how people think, feel and react. Writings on interpersonal persuasion has ancient origins. Aristotle produced what has been called ‘the most important single work in the history of speech in the fourth century BC (Thonssen and Beard, 1948, p. 63). The book Rhetoric (Aristotle, trans. Roberts, 1924) highlights the influential impact of three artistic proofs inhibited in a speaker these are: ethos, pathos and logos. Ethos, the ethical and personal appeals of a speaker, consists of how the speaker projects personal characteristics so as to induce belief on the part of the listener. Pathos entails the emotional features of the speaker. Logos or logical appeals in the form of examples and enthymemes were regarded by Aristotle as the basis of reasoned discourse. Some 23 centuries later there now exists an immense literature on interpersonal communication (Littlejohn, 1990). In a Marketing communication context, word of mouth (WOM) is a consumer-dominated channel, the sender is usually independent of the market. It is therefore perceived to be more reliable, credible, and trustworthy by consumers compared to firm-initiated communications (Schiffman Kanuk, 1995; Arndt, 1967). Traditional communications theory considers WOM as having a powerful influence on behaviour, especially on consumers’ information search, evaluation, and subsequent decision making (Cox 1963) It provides information relating to product performance and the social and psychological cost of the purchase decision (Cox, 1963).Research generally supports the claim that WOM is more influential on behaviour than other marketer-controlled sources. Indeed, it has been observed that WOM can be more influential than neutral print sources such as Which and Consumer Reports (Herr et al., 1991). 2.2 Online Social Networks. The term â€Å"Social network† can certainly not be described a new term, as individuals we are all involved in at least one form of social network and most of us especially the youth, are likely actively involved in several simultaneously, both â€Å"real† and online. The term social network can be defined as any web-based services that allow individuals to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site. (Boyd, et.al 2007). What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made, but that is often not the goal, and these meetings are frequently between â€Å"latent ties† who share some offline connection. (Haythornthwaite, 2005) 2.3 The Development of Online Social Networks The first recognizable social network site was launched in 1997 this was known as SixDegrees.com, this website provided its members with the opportunity to create profiles list their friends and by 1998 provided the option of surfing their friends list ultimately leading to the interactive nature of our social networks today. However before 1997 other website and internet tools had already implored some one or more of this features (Boyd, et.al 2007), profiles where already being used by dating sites, ICQ buddy lists; the pioneer of the current crop of Internet instant messenger clients supported the listing of Friends, however this list was not visible to others. Classmates.com, allowed its members to connect with their old school mates and surf the network for others who were also connected, but members could not develop profiles or list Friends. SixDegree.com became the first site to combine these three main features of social networks as we know them today. SixDegress.com was able to attract millions of users worldwide however its progress was halted and eventually shut down services in 2000. Reasons for its failure were attributed to its inability to become a sustainable business; the fact that its users did not have an extensive network of friends online and their non responsive nature to meeting strangers online also its users complained that the website offered little to do other than adding new friends, its founder believes that SixDegrees.com was simply ahead of its time (A. Weinreich, personal communication, July 11, 2007) cited from Boyd et al (2007). In 2001 Ryze.com was launched to assist its member by leveraging on each other’s business networks. The founder reports that he first introduced the site to his friends—primarily members of the San Francisco business and technology community, including the entrepreneurs and investors behind many future SNSs (Boyd, et.al 2007).To complement the features of their business website in 2002 the management of Ryze.com Launched Friendster. It was created to compete with Match.com, a profitable online dating site (Cohen, 2003). Friendster gained footing amongst three groups of early adopters who ultimately defined the image of the site these where; bloggers, attendees of the Burning Man arts festival, and gay men. The website through these early adopters was able to grow to over 300,000 users through word of mouth before traditional press coverage began in May 2003 (O’Shea, 2003). As Friendster became more popular the site developed technical and social difficulties, th is lead to a massive reduction in its users. However as its popularity faded in the United States and Europe its popularity increased in countries like the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia (Goldberg, 2007). Between 2003 and date several social network sites have been created the most influential of these is most likely Facebook. Facebook was started off in early 2004 as a Harvard-only SNS (Cassidy, 2006). To become a member, a user had to have a harvard.edu email address this trend continued when it spread to other institutions as users were required to login using their school email addresses this made Facebook appear as an intimate social networking site that still offered all the exposure (Boyd, et.al 2007). In more recent years, Twitter has also become a leader in social networking. 2.4 Marketing on Social Networks versus Word of Mouth. According to a report carried entitled, The European Social Media and Email Marketing Study on the Digital Dialogue between Facebook, Twitter and Email conducted by Volker Wiewer and Rolf Anweiler (2010), the usage of social networks is on a steady increase, in the UK out of 1045 respondents, 91% agreed to receiving at least one form of commercial communication through an online tool including email and newsletters. Facebook was the most popular amongst respondents and a further 94% acknowledged to either having an account or at least having knowledge of facebook and amongst these users the average number of friends was 77 users. However only 34% of the respondents agreed to engaging the typical forms of product or brand awareness on these social networks. These typical tools are however limited to; being a fan of/friend of a company/brand profile on a social network or a follower of a company/brand on twitter Word of mouth on the other hand has been shown to influence a variety of conditions: awareness, expectations, perceptions, attitudes, behavioural intentions and behaviour, (Buttle 1998). It has been described by scholars as one of the oldest and most powerful marketing tools however, it can also be negative. According to Arndt (1971), it can be said that negative word of mouth is more powerful than positive word of mouth. White House Office of Consumer Affairs suggested that about ‘90%or more people who are disappointed with the service they receive will not patronize the service again. Furthermore, each of those unhappy clients will narrate his or her story to a minimum of 9 other people, and 13%of those unhappy former clients will tell their stories to more than 20 people’. It is not reported to how many these WOM recipients retell the story. (Buttle 1998) 3.0 Aims and Objectives. This study will attempt to obtain an understanding of marketing on online social networks. Evaluate the impact if any, of marketing on online social networks. Attempt to Identify the range of online social networks. It would explore the possibility of substituting traditional word of mouth with marketing on online social networks. Explore the levels of acceptance of online social networks versus word of mouth through product recommendation. Consider the implication of negative online social networks marketing versus word of mouth. 4.0 Research methodology The complexity of the topic area combined with the nature of the research to be undertaken makes it preferable and possibly necessary to employ qualitative research methods in the gathering and interpretation of the research evidence. According to Leedy and Ormrod (2005) qualitative research usually requires adequate planning and preparation, thus it is decisive in researches involving description, interpretation, verification and evaluation. This section will be divided into two parts namely research design and data collection. 4.1 Research Design According to research design is categorised in three forms which are the exploratory, descriptive and casual, Chisnall (2005) according to the specific nature of the research in question. Semi-structured interviews will be organised as it will serve as an effective means of collecting people’s views/perceptions on the research area as well as providing a means of observing their body language and expressions while giving feedback to the posed questions. A questionnaire will also be designed and distributed to gather some general information. Focus groups may also be engaged depending on the possibility of getting a number of quality respondents together at the same time. A qualitative analysis and interpretation of their perceptions and feedback will be carried out subsequently. This form of research design was chosen because, previous studies in this area have used qualitative research to arrive at analysis, thus utilising the same type of research methods provides the opportunity to agree with or challenge previous research confidently and logically. In addition, due to the nature of the topic being studied and the nature of information or evidence that is required, the interview seems to be most ideal for getting the needed information. This is by virtue of the fact that it helps to get a more detailed insight into people’s individual perceptions and opinions as opposed to the other methods of gathering information. The questionnaire will also be most useful in getting a more general opinion on the subject matter. 4.2 Implementation 100 Questionnaires with a maximum of 15-20 questions will be distributed amongst individuals at random. Due to the nature of the study respondents can be chosen at random as the quality of information required is not specific to a gender or speciality. Interviews will be conducted at random amongst users of online social networks to develop a detailed idea of how often products are marketed via their social network. If required a focus group will be created to gain information on a more specific aspect on this study. Additionally previous literature and published research relative to the area of the study will be reviewed 4.3 Data Collection Qualitative information on word of mouth and Online social network would be sourced through individual face to face in-depth interviews. This aims to achieve individual perceptions on the subject matter with comparisons made at the final stage. The in-depth interview is preferred since this is an exploratory research and it would give the respondent the opportunity to talk freely about situations and events which this research aims to cover. This approach will also provide me an opportunity to query answers whenever I need the respondent to further explain their responses (Saunders et al, 2007). This will however be done with extreme caution, in order to avoid making the respondent uncomfortable or unable to provide pragmatic answers To attain a complete perspective, both primary and secondary methods of data collection are being proposed to undertake this study. Chisnall (2005) defines primary data collection as the collation of any data or information that has been collected for the first time through any of the following means, experimentation, observation or questionnaires. The primary data for this research will be sourced from information gathered through questionnaire, interviews and if required focus groups. Questionnaires will be developed using both open ended and closed ended questions with respondents assured of the security of the information disclosed and the protection of their civil rights. To maintain a consistence in the information collected, the same questions used in the questionnaires will be administered during the interviews and if changes are made they will be properly documented. Secondary data on the other hand, is information that has already been gathered by previous scholars who have researched this topic or other relevant subject areas surrounding this topic. This information will be sourced from the public domains which are relevant to the course of research. According to Saunders et al (2009) the study of secondary data will consist of a comprehensive examination and critical review of academic literature to gain insight into areas set out within the aforementioned objectives, and also a review of key journals, academic books, financial research reports, press, databases and websites. The use of this research will give the researcher a better insight to previous research works, Saunders et al (2009). 5.0 Difficulties and Limitations The only foresee able difficulty or limitation is access. This is one of the major considerations, and prospectively one of the biggest hurdles that might be encountered with regards to the feasibility of this research study. The access refers to respondents and necessary information for conducting the research. Also due to the nature of the research, the quality of the information gather might be exaggerated as a band wagon effect is normal in topics related to this and amongst the core respondents which will mostly be youths as they are the largest users of online social networks. 6.0 Timescale Due to the nature of the academic calendar, adequate timing will be allocated to each process and the final report will be submitted in accordance with the university approved time for submission of dissertation for the acquisition of an Msc. Degree in Marketing. 7.0 Cost The nature of this research to be carried out is limited, the only item to be produced are questionnaires for distribution so costing will be very minimal. 8.0 Outline Structure of the Proposed Research project Chapter 1: Introduction The research topic will be introduced and the reasons, aims and objectives of the research will be clearly stated and identified. The background of the topic will be stated justifying the need to identify and possibly understand the influence of culture. The introduction will also clearly outline the research design. Chapter 2: Literature Review At this stage of literature search, it is envisaged that previous work in these broad domains will form the foundations of the critical review of literature: Chapter 3: Methodology Primary and Secondary research will be used to analyse the research topic and this will be based on interviews and questionnaires. This approaches have been adopted as they are the most tried and tested form of research method used by academic writers on this subject matter. Chapter 4: Findings This chapter will be concerned with analysing and interpreting the information and data gathered for the research work with the aim of producing the findings of the research. Chapter 5: Conclusions The final section of the research project will do the three things normally expected in the formal conclusion of investigative study: summarise the key outcomes of research exercise; identify limitations inherent the planned research design and/or in what was actually achieved; Suggest further lines of enquiry that might be pursued in subsequent studies. References Alan R Andreasen. Journal of Public Policy Marketing. Chicago: Spring 2002. Vol. 21, Iss. 1; pg. 3, 11 pgs Arndt, J. (1967). Role of Product-Related Conversations in the Diffusion of a New Product. Journal of Marketing Research, 4, 291–95. Boyd, D. M. and Ellison, N. B. (2008), Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13: 210–230. doi: 10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00393.x Buttle, Francis A. (1998) ‘Word of mouth: understanding and managing referral marketing’, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 6: 3, 241 — 254 Cassidy, J. (2006, May 15). Me media: How hanging out on the Internet became big business. The New Yorker, 82(13), 50. Chisnall, P. 2005, Marketing research, McGraw-Hill. Cox, D. F. (1963). The Audiences as Communicators. In S. A. Greyser (Ed.), Proceedings, American Marketing Association, December (pp. 58–72). Chicago: American Marketing Association Cohen, R. (2003, July 5). Livewire: Web sites try to make internet dating less creepy. Reuters. Retrieved April 5, 2010 from http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=internetNewsstoryID=3041934 Goldberg, S. (2007, May 13). Analysis: Friendster is doing just fine. Digital Media Wire. Retrieved April 7 2010 from http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/05/14/analysis-friendster-is-doing-just-fine Haythornthwaite, C. (2005). Social networks and Internet connectivity effects. Information, Communication, Society, 8(2), 125–147. Herr, P.M., Kardes, F.R. and Kim, J. (1991) Effects of word-of-mouth and product attribute Information on persuasion: an accessibility-diagnosticity perspective. Journal of Consumer Research 17, 454–62. Leedy, P.D., Ormrod, J.E., 2005, Practical Research: Planning and Design. (8th ED). Pearson Merril Prentice Hall. New Jersey Littlejohn, S.W. (1990) Theories of Human Communication, 2nd edn. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. O’Shea, W. (2003, July 4-10). Six Degrees of sexual frustration: Connecting the dates with Friendster.com. Village Voice. Retrieved April 4, 2010 from http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0323,oshea, 44576, 1.html Pedro Domingos 2005, â€Å"Mining social networks for viral marketing†, IEEE Intelligent Systems, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 80-82. Saunders M., Lewis P. Thornhill A. (2007) Research Methods for Business Students. 4th Ed. New York: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Schiffman, L. G., Kanuk, L. L. (1995). Consumer Behaviour, 9th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Thonssen, L. and Beard, A.C. (1948) Speech Criticism: The Development of Standards for Rhetorical Appraisal. New York: Ronald Press. Volker Wiewer and Rolf Anweiler, December 2010, the European Social Media and Email Marketing Study – A 6 Country Study about the Digital Dialogue between Facebook, Twitter and Email (Part 2) (European Summary Consumer Results) London yengar, Raghuram, Han, Sangman and Gupta, Sunil, Do Friends Influence Purchases in a Social Network(February 26, 2009). Harvard Business School Marketing Unit Working Paper No. 09-123. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1392172 How to cite Social networks as an advertising-based model, Essay examples